New Approach to Culinary Apprenticeships   1 Feb 2016

New Approach to Culinary Apprenticeships

The time-tested approach to training top chefs now has added ingredients thanks to an evolution of the Cookery Apprenticeship by ServiceIQ with help from the heart of the culinary industry.

“The revisions to our New Zealand Cookery Apprenticeship bring it up-to-date with the way successful businesses operate,” says Dean Minchington, ServiceIQ Chief Executive. “There have been a few adjustments to what is learned by apprentices as they gain skills on the job. However, the new apprenticeship is still very much in line with the earlier one, with classic skills and experience that has made good cooks into great chefs still there.”

The main change between the old and new is the addition of something that is as important to running a successful kitchen as the quality of the food. The phrase ‘commercial competency’ is the technical term for this innovation.

“What this means is that as well as apprentices gaining hard cooking skills and knowledge, they’ll also pick up and be assessed on those softer but vital people and operational abilities that keep a kitchen running through thick and thin. The skills that make the difference between a kitchen that cooks food and one that excels service after service, with success measured on quality, profit and customer satisfaction.

“More than ever, these factors can mean the difference between struggle and success in many restaurant, food and hospitality businesses.”

Benefit for current Apprentices too

All cookery apprentices beginning their training in 2016 will learn and be assessed on the job under the new Cookery Apprenticeship. With the value of the new commercial competency ingredient clear, ServiceIQ is ensuring that existing apprentices don’t miss out.

“All cookery apprentices, no matter when they started their training, can be assessed on the commercial competence standards without extra cost,” says Dean Minchington. “We realise that this is important to the career of the trainee, the success of their employer, and to the growth of the hospitality and tourism sectors in New Zealand. That’s why we’re making this commercial competency available to all cookery apprentices, new and old, working closely with the Restaurant Association of New Zealand.”

ENDS

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